Chitra Amma's Kitchen

This blog provides delicious,traditional, vegetarian, South Indian Recipes from my mother Chitra Amma's kitchen. There are few 'world recipes' as well!
Thanks to Shravan, Pranav, Akash, Tara, Guggs, Shankari, Adu and Appa Ramachandran for the photos!

FoodBuzz

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Our family had the opportunity to enjoy the delicious Sattu Laddus from Kolkatta recently. When I took a bite of the sweet I realized that it was the very same Pottukadalai laddu/Maa Laadu, a traditional sweet prepared in South Indian homes.The beautifully packaged Sattu Laddus with Silver Vark makeover have now become one of my family's favourite sweets.

Pottu Kadalai (Roasted Gram) known as Hurigadale or Putani in Kannada is a healthy snack by itself since it is rich in protein and dietary fiber. Those were the days when we siblings were a bunch of hyper active kids who loved to loot the garden or store room to find some nibbles all the time.We did not even spare the drums in which the Pottu Kadalai (Roasted Gram) husk was stocked for feeding our cows! We literally dived into the drums and foraged for the meager Pottu Kadalais which still stuck to some of the husks! We enjoyed munching the handful of Pottu Kadalais thus collected as we played in the garden!

Pottu Kadalai Urundai can be prepared in two methods. Roasted gram can be mixed with sticky jaggery syrup and then shaped into delicious balls / laddus. The second method of making the Pottukadalai Laddurundai is by using the Pottu Kadalai in its flour form. This is also known as Maa or Maavu Laadoo (Flour Laddu) in Tamil. I have used organic jaggery powder for its blood purifying properties and its mineral content which in turn enhances the nutritional value of the Pottu Kadalai Laddurundai.

INGREDIENTS

Roasted Gram / Pottu Kadalai - 1 glass

Organic jaggery powder - 1 glass

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

Edible camphor - 1/2 a pinch

Ghee or Olive oil - 1 cup

METHOD

1. Grind the roasted gram (Pottu Kadalai) into a fine and smooth powder.

2. Add cardamom, jaggery powder and edible camphor and blend them together once again.

3. Take the ground mixture in a bowl and add hot ghee/olive oil to it and mix thoroughly.

4. Take a scoop of the warm mixture and shape it into a Laddurundai (laddu balls).

5. Make Laddus similarly using all the flour and jaggery mixture while still warm.

6. If the mixture cools down or does not hold the shape, mix in little more hot ghee or olive oil and continue shaping the laddus.

Enjoy the nutritious Pottu Kadalai Laddurundai as when you crave for a sweet!

Monday, July 24, 2017

Restaurants serving millet based food are on the rise today. Most of the eateries in Karnataka have always been serving Ragi Muddae Oota since a long time. After the rise of the millets in the urban scene Ragi Soup has become the in- thing in food courts of corporate offices. Traditional Ragi Kanji turns into a nutritious Ragi Soup with the addition of vegetables!

INGREDIENTS

Ragi flour - 2 tbsps

Finely chopped vegetables - 1/2 cup

Onion (Slivered) - 1 tbsp

Crushed ginger and garlic - 1 tsp

Crushed pepper - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Olive oil or sesame oil - 1 tbsp

Water - 2 glasses

METHOD

1. Steam cook the finely chopped vegetables till al dante.

2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the onion slivers till they turn golden brown.

3. Add crushed ginger and garlic and fry till it gives out a pleasant aroma.

4. Add the steamed vegetables and saute for two minutes.

5. Pour the two glasses of water into the pan and bring it to a boil.

6. Mix Ragi flour with little water to make a paste and stir it into the boiling water.

Garnish with crushed pepper and enjoy the Vegetable Ragi Soup while it is hot.

You may add a dash of Tomato Sauce or Chilly Sauce if you wish to. Thin Vegetable Ragi Soup with the crunch of crushed pepper is a healthy and appetizing starter.Where as a thick soup becomes a healthy meal in itself.

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Hello

Welcome to Chitra Amma's Kitchen.

I am Dibs. I am a born Foodie. I love to cook; love to eat; love to feed folks who appreciate good food. Blogging provides me a great way of documenting my mother, Chitra’s recipes, as a ready reference irrespective which time zone I live in. Amma honestly makes the best food I've ever had, and somehow, the anecdotes she tells us, make the dishes taste all the better.Most posts here are written by my mother Chitra. It’s her recipes, along with related reminiscences of people, places and anecdotes. She writes, I post!What started for a lark, has now become a serious hobby, drawing in participation from the whole family. My father, S.R. Ramachandran has started clicking away every dish made at home! Aunts, cousins, siblings, contribute to photos, and ask for recipes.We try to illustrate implements such as utensils, grinding stones and so on from the ‘pre-electric-mixer’ days wherever possible. We hope this will make an interesting read for future generations, on how food was cooked in earlier times!The site is still in its infancy, and slowly evolving, as our skills improve! We invite your comments, ideas, and questions, and will attempt answering them.

Thank you for your visit, and we hope you enjoy your stay at Chitra Amma’s Kitchen.